Friday, July 22, 2011

Thursday, July 21, 2011

i've been searching for ways to teach leo about doing things just for the goodness of doing them...

sharing just because it makes someone feel good...

helping because it's a nice thing to do...

listening because it is polite and kind...

not because you want something in return. just because it's good.

but how do you teach something that is so internal? how can i tell his little body, his little heart, how to feel?

so, today, we drew a nice, big heart on our chalkboard...

and we talked about how some things can just fill up our hearts. make us feel good inside. and make others feel good, too.

and throughout the day, we added to it.

we also talked about what can make our hearts feel empty... what can make us feel sad. and others sad, as well.

i know leo is young, and his actions are all so true. so honest. and i never want him to change that. but i do want him to start to understand that his actions and words can affect the way he feels. and the way others feel.

by the end of the day... our big heart was full.

just like any other day, we had ups and downs. some smiles, some tears.

but it was nice to see this full heart at the end of it all.

reminding us how many things can truly fill our hearts. and how good that can make us all feel.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

i've wanted to make more of an effort to have some days that we just meander...

spend time in the backyard...

sit in the grass...

read some books...

go for a nice walk.

so often, it seems like our days get filled. with outings. with work. with appointments.

we've finally gotten to a point where we have less to do. it's funny that i feel like the only way to have some lazier days is to actually plan for them.

today, we had nothing to do. so, when we finally got around to it, we went for a nice walk. i thought we'd just stroll, but leo wanted to go to the library, so that's where we headed.

i put a couple pieces of chalk in a pouch and brought it along. while we walked, leo and i started to talk about all the things that make us happy. we'd stop along the way, and draw some pictures of the things we'd talk about...

a fire truck... with a firefighter...

trees... and a green bush...

a few of his friends...

some grapes...

which we then sat down to eat :)

it was a nice, leisurely walk.

what's funny, is that the next couple of hours were not so nice. i was tired... and therefore, a little less patient than usual. and leo was grumpy... and filled with strong emotions...

during the walk back home, i was anxious to get back. i just wanted to take a nap. we both needed it. badly.

meanwhile, while my frustration was bubbling...

i'd stumble on those pictures.

and as much as i wanted to wallow in my grumps, it was hard when every few blocks, i'd see another picture...

Monday, July 18, 2011

what a beautiful day we had. the weather was nice... the children played...

we learned about shapes... as we went fishing!

here's what you'll need:

sticks

yarn

magnets

hot glue gun

sheet of thin plastic

large paper clips

hole puncher

when i've made fishing games for the classroom, i've always used paper.... we would just spread the fish on the ground instead of putting them in water. but, after seeing this post on mini-eco, the idea of using plastic made fishing in water possible! brilliant!

start by cutting some lengths of yarn... about 2' long. hot glue a little magnet at the end of each piece.

take the other end of the yarn, and hot glue it to the end of a stick...

and you've got a fishing rod!

then, make a fish template. use that to trace as many fish onto the plastic as you'd like. (if you're not planning on using the fish in water, just trace them onto paper.) cut them out.

i normally would just clip on the paper clips, right onto the front of the fish, but saw this other cute upgrade on mini-eco... punch a hole at the front of the fish, and slip the paper clip into the hole. it makes for a much cuter, fish-on-a-hook look!

be sure to use the large paper clips if using plastic fish... with the extra weight of the plastic (as opposed to paper), they need the bigger paper clips to work with the magnets.

now, you can get a little creative... depending on the age of the child, add a little something onto your fish. we went with various shapes to work on shape identification. in the classroom, i've done numbers, dots for counting, different colors, or even random questions that the children would have to ask each other ("what's your favorite color?" "how many eyes do you have?", etc.) i love the idea of doing questions, because it brings a social element to it!

once we were all set with our fishing rods and fish, we brought them outside, and drew some large shapes on the sidewalk.

we dumped the fish in a bucket of water...

and as the kiddos caught their fish...

they'd find the matching shape on the sidewalk and place their catch in it!

Friday, July 15, 2011

inspired by wordless wednesdays (which i don't know the original source, but see them all over the place!)... amanda blake soule's {this moment}s...

i though i'd try something similar. i just can't seem to narrow things down to one picture, so, it's going to be our week's wanders. things that might not have been blogged about, but things that have made our week our week...

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

i often waver between the need for routine and the need for... not routine?

between structured days and unstructured days... for leo and for me....

and have realized that it just takes balance. a little bit of both.

but, lately, my need for routine has become more in favor. and here are some reasons why...

toddlers just can't tell time...
this has become my most important reason for routine. we, as adults, have the luxury of looking at the clock and knowing, "it's time for nap," "it's time for lunch," "we have an appointment in half an hour, so we need to clean up now to get there on time..." but our kiddos don't have that luxury. what they are doing RIGHT NOW is all that matters. each event in their day sort of runs their clocks. so, for them, a routine is their time table. if we do the same routine for naptime, there's no surprise when it's time to lay down. on the other hand, if leo's in the middle of playing, i look at the clock, and it's 12:30... time for nap... and i just announce "okay it's nap time"... i don't think anyone would handle that too well. so, by creating a routine for the different elements of our day, things go much more smoothly. once lunch hits the table, the rest of the steps just follow with ease.

it takes away the guilt...
i have issues with guilt. it's true. with everything. i almost always feel guilty about something. i know, i need to get over it. but it is what it is. how does that have anything to do with routines? well... if i create a routine for our day... some sort of schedule... then i know there's a time for each thing i should be doing. if i know that after breakfast everyday, leo and i spend some time together reading books, then i don't have that gnawing feeling of "do i read enough to him?!?!" if i know that each day, for an hour, i set aside for some housework, all the other hours of the day i'm not staring at the dishes, thinking "i should really get to those dishes..."

it gives me a sense of accomplishment...
for the same reasons as the guilt, if i know that each day, there is time set aside for housework... a new activity with leo... some reading... some crafting... whatever it might be... at the end of the day i can look back at what i've done and feel a sense of accomplishment. rather than feeling scattered, and seeing all the things that haven't been done, i know that there is a good deal that has.

it brings comfort...
not knowing what comes next can be stressful. for anyone. this sort of relates to the time reason above. if leo knows what to expect, what's coming next, it brings a sense of comfort. at night, when leo's asleep, just about every night, my husband and i sit on the couch, veg out for a little bit, and, most importantly, have a dessert. and i really look forward to that time. if it doesn't happen, sure, i get over it, but there's a little sense of disappointment... and even more anticipation for the next night. i can imagine that leo takes comfort, too, in knowing what is going to happen, and when it's going to happen.

don't get me wrong... it's impossible to create routine and structure for every element of life. and probably not healthy, even, to do so. i love the days that we just pick up and go somewhere. make new discoveries. and there are days that we just can't follow our routine... doctor's appointments, visitors... whatever it might be. and those are the instances that we all must be flexible... in our day, in our emotions, and in our time table.

but i have to say... once we settle back in... and get into our family groove... it feels nice. really nice.

i pretty much just laid the pieces out, pieced them together, and serged them to each other.

then shirred the top...

and added that last gray strip down the back to connect one end to the other (mostly because i needed to make the top a little wider around), and then added the straps (and some loops for them to cross in the back).

for the ruffle at the bottom, i actually just did one row of shirring... i thought that would be quicker than doing a basting stitch and pulling it and all that...

why i am a wanderer...

when i was little, i was in a day camp called "the happy wanderers." i've always thought that was a funny name...endearing, i guess. and now, many years later, i find that it suits me again. i'm learning as i go, and going as i learn. and i'm truly happy as i wander through it all.